Monday, September 2, 2019

Preserving Summer


Summer is turning to fall overnight, but I'm just not ready for the change of seasons. We missed out on too many summer staples this year, including favorites like watermelon, sweetcorn, and homegrown tomatoes. Can you imagine summertime without them?


What if I that sweetness and crunch and preserved it like pickles or jam? Dandelion Wine: This little quilt comes close. Its ripe berry reds, sunny yellows, fresh-from-the-garden calicoes, and crisp gingham checks really  capture the essence of summer, don't you think?



It's a project I set aside years ago once I gave up doing handwork, but after showing it to a friend, she offered to finish it for me. Thanks, Ruth!



There's crosshatching in the 2" squares... 



and cables in the daisy-print border. 

See how the perle cotton catches the light?



Mmm... more strawberries on the back.


It's a sweet reminder of summer any time of year!


"Strawberry Preserves"

15” x 17”

2019



Saturday, September 8, 2018

Scenes of Summer


Hello everyone! How was your summer? Mine was filled with extraordinary moments shared with extraordinary friends, like
Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color who surprised me with one of her signature batik colorwash quilts. Read more about it HERE. 


Quilting friends brought "show and tell" with their visits. Here's Sheila with her Sunflower quilt and me with Wanda's Zig-Zag.


Jenny shared fresh-picked cherry tomatoes and basil from her garden, and Jean baked a delicious peach cobbler and the best blueberry pie I've ever tasted!


Local troubadour, Bill Glaysher, serenaded me one afternoon. Swoon!


Who helped me make this online purchase? I couldn't resist a few new American Jane fabrics.


I asked my friend, Bev, if she'd read aloud to me. We spent many blissful hours together over books. 



We were invited to a lovely bridal shower hosted by friends for their daughter and son-in-law-to-be. What lured us out on a 97-degree day was the promise of mango mimosas and eight different kinds of cake. It did not disappoint!



Thanks for all the love, my friends. You certainly helped make it a memorable summer! 


Saturday, May 5, 2018

Spring At Last


What a welcome sight! Crocuses are blanketing the landscape like a colorful patchwork quilt. From the moment they emerge, often while there's still snow on the ground, their hardy blossoms dance with abandon like they're grateful to be leaving winter behind... and aren't we all?



My friend, Debbie, shared this photo from Flowers on Fargo, a private garden in Geneva, Illinois. Each spring, it bursts into color  with crocuses, tulips, and other flowering perennials. Check out the link above!  


Perhaps it's the colors that drew me to this vintage Dutchman's Puzzle quilt. Do you suppose the maker had crocuses in mind when she pieced those purple triangles or was this just a popular color scheme in the 1940s?



All those triangles



poking through a bed of white



to dance their way across a quilt



sure look like crocuses to me!



Wishing you all a happy spring & summer!

Friday, March 16, 2018

Midwinter Blues


Hello everyone. I had another birthday recently and with it came this beautiful quilt from BarbYou may recognize the pattern as "Midwinter Blues", designed by Lori DeJarnatt for her 2014 Humble Quilts sew-along. 

Aren't Barb's fabrics exquisite? I've never seen such deep, saturated blues or "sharp" cheddars. Double-click photos for more detail.




All those patchwork points and angles could make for a busy quilt, but gentle curves of quilting help balance the visual energy.


So does the silk thread used for machine quilting. Look how the stitches practically melt into the background. 


Here's another great backing fabric--"E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one." 


Thank you, Barb. I'm humbled by this gift and promise to be a worthy custodian of your work! XO

 


If you'd like to make your own "Midwinter Blues" quilt, Lori DeJarnatt provides free instructions on her "Humble Quilts" blog

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Finale.



Sunday, December 31, 2017

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful!



Hello, everyone! If you live outside the purple zone on the weather map, you may be unaware how bitterly cold it is here in the Midwest. Our single-digit temperatures and -25° to -40° wind chills are breath-taking cold! Bone-chilling cold! FROSTBITE COLD! Needless to say, we're hunkered down for the duration.


My husband keeps his "expeditions" to a minimum in weather like this, braving the elements only to trek down the sidewalk for mail or to clear the driveway of snow--not that we're going anywhere! Each time he opens the storm door, it whines in icy protest as if to ask, “Are you sure you want to venture out today?”


I'm snug and warm with a cozy new quilt made by my friend, Mary Conley. "The blocks might look familiar," she whispered as she placed it in my lap. Indeed they did; they were red and green nine-patches I'd abandoned almost twenty years earlier! 


I could hardly believe my eyes! Here were those very blocks looking fresh and new in a jaunty on-point setting. Mary's choice of homespun really compliments the nine-patches and ties everything together. 



There's homespun on the back too and swirly quilting for the final blustery touch.


So, here's where you'll find me this winter, wrapped in the comfort of Mary's quilt. In the meantime, Happy New Year and best wishes for 2018!



Friday, July 21, 2017

Will Strip for Fabric!


Hi everyone. Hope you're keeping cool this summer. I get so lethargic and irksome in this heat. Most days, it’s hard to do much more than nap! 

My Piecemaker friends shared photos of quilts they made from our Spider Web fabric exchange.
 It’s fun to see each quilter's interpretation of this classic string-pieced design. Enjoy! 


















And here’s our friend, Patt, dressed as a stripper. How else would you dress for a "strip" swap?



Saturday, June 3, 2017

Hey, Macarena!


Hello all! It’s been awhile since I posted a bona fide, start to finish, made with my own two hands kind of quilt. I made this Spider Web, aka Kaleidoscope, in a fabric swap with my "Piecemakers" quilt friends. 


The theme was “pastels” so each of us contributed six yards worth of assorted strips to exchange with the group.



By the day of the swap, three banquet tables overflowed with strips of every color and hue. We paraded around the room to the festive rhythm of “Macarena,” snatching a strip from each table we passed. Between the music, laughter and fabric flying, we looked like a crazy conga line or raucous game of musical chairs. "Hey, Macarena!" 

Some chose their strips at random while others had a particular color scheme in mind. I selected 1930s-style colors and prints for my quilt. 

After sorting and sewing our strips into strata (6 strip sets), we used this 45 Degree Kaleidoscope Wedge Ruler to cut the eight segments required for each block. 





Coordinating the colors within each block was lots of fun... 







but, I liked the scrappiness of mixing random strips almost as much.




Nothing went to waste. My leftover strips found their way into the scrappy border.


I chose a 1930s-style print for the back too and bound the quilt in pink.




Kaleidoscope or Spider Web 
84" x 100"
Machine quilted by Stover Quality Quilting.